The Sunday Roast

It's Official - She's Cracked The Da Vinci Code

This week's interview is with Susan,
who writes the blog Pouty Baby's Nonsense.

Here's the first of the standard questions. Why do you blog?

I blog because it makes me feel connected to the world in a way I've not felt before. For me, blogging has become like a virtual playground. How else can I go on a nature walk, enjoy the arts, and laugh with new friends, all over the world, in the same day, without money or leaving the house? I enjoy reading other blogs more than I do posting on my own, and I especially enjoy leaving well-thought-out comments constructed to both encourage and make people laugh at life's absurdities.

What's the story behind the blog name?

Pouty Baby's Nonsense is a blog with creative content meant to entertain. The best place to start in explaining the story is to start with the "Nonsense" piece of the blog name - I know this will come as a shock - It's true confession time - Here it is. I have a personality with a propensity to exaggerate, and so, not everything I say is entirely true. Most people have copyright language on their blogs. On mine, I disclaim liablility from any brain damage sustained while visiting.

The story behind Pouty Baby most assuredly will not surprise anyone. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Leonardo da Vinci is the question of the true identity of Mona Lisa. Compelling evidence exists to support that she illustrates the zen of the paradox of the world view that is the Pouty Baby paradigm.

Furthermore, by using sophisticated colored pencil and water color techniques and mediocre Photoshop skills of scale and cropping, the relative location of each facial feature in the Mona Lisa matches mine exactly. Look at my brilliant watercolor rendering and see for yourself. It is obvious that turning down the corner of Pouty Baby's mouth produces the mysterious pouty lips. It is me, Mona, posing as Susan English, posting as Pouty Baby, and going by Pouty Lips.

The implications this creates are mind bloggling, and require some explanation. I hear dead people. Apparently, whenever he needs a break from the great drug rehabilitation center in the sky, George Carlin reads my blog and comments directly to me in my head. He explains that in the great after life - yonder way - comedians, artists, and poets want me to channel their thoughts on my blog, and the line forms behind da Vinci. I can hear your mind reeling.

What is the best thing about being a blogger?

The best thing about being a blogger is waking up in the morning, making my first cuppa Joe, and sitting down to visit my cyber friends. I get my head screwed on straight, and I'm ready to face the tired old world in a brand new way. My cuppa Joe is pretty important; I named one of my kids after it. It's not easy being a boy named Cuppa. Just ask my son, Joe.

What key advice would you give to a newbie blogger?

My advice to newbie bloggers is: "Don't listen to anyone tell you how to run your blog." It's like Ricky Nelson said, "You can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself." Your blog is your venue - so create your own garden party.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever read?

Two gems stick out in my "mind's eye" (eternal egomaniac, Shakespeare, is whispering in my ear that I should ask everyone whether or not they know that phrase came from him). The first post that affected me in a profound way was The Secret by Meredith Teagarden. Another was A Different Flame, written by Aussie medical doctor Maithri Goonetilleke. You sent me to both blog posts through your Post Of The Day series, where you showcase the best posts. I believe in stream of consciousness and blogging reinforces it. I have a blog roll in my sidebar listing the bloggers I regularly follow whose lives, curiously, seem to parallel mine in one way or another. I consider all of the bloggers I follow significant.

What is the most significant blog post you've ever written?

The most meaningful post I've penned was Almost Empty Nest. It's a Shakespearean sonnet with a parenthood theme that I also call "A Cautionary Tale." Probably my overall best post was a joint effort with Fireblossom was called FlyDay The 13th. The ultimate Pouty Lips mini-movie masterpiece is Happy Blog-iversary Baby.

What it's all about for me is learning what's really important in life. My Dream Weaving blog is dedicated to the process of taking risks and trying to figure it all out. It's meant to be an encouraging read especially for those of us who struggle with life's challenges. If I can make you crack a smile in the process, all the better then.

Thanks, David, for giving me 15 minutes of fame.


Today's Sunday Roast with Susan is the 78th in a weekly series of interviews with bloggers from around the world.